When transparency becomes a tradition

Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. Transparency is not a trophy. It is a discipline—built slowly, defended daily, and strengthened only when institutions choose openness even when it is inconvenient. In government, where trust is our most fragile currency, transparency is the difference between doubt and democracy.

- AMENAH F. PANGANDAMAN

This week, the Department of Budget and Management was once again honored at the Freedom of Information Awards (FOI)—our fourth consecutive year of recognition. It reaffirms that openness is not a one-off initiative but a culture we worked hard to build. This honor belongs to the PH-OGP Project Management Office, our information officers, and every public servant who ensures that government remains visible and accountable to the people it serves.

When I assumed office in 2022, I was determined to end the era of “budget by request,” where Filipinos encountered key budget documents only after the GAA had already been signed. We changed that. We opened the NEP, the GAA, fund releases, SARO and NCA records, and critical budget data—publishing them online routinely rather than selectively. We simplified technical documents through the People’s Budget and created dashboards that allowed citizens, media, and watchdog groups to follow how public funds move. The budget stopped being an exclusive conversation among officials; it became a public record, accessible to all.

This commitment to openness deepened when President Marcos issued Executive Order No. 31, institutionalizing the Philippine Open Government Partnership across the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. As PH-OGP chairperson, I had the privilege of leading the country back into the global OGP Steering Committee and hosting the first OGP Asia-Pacific Regional Meeting in Manila. These were significant milestones—but the world’s response was even more meaningful.